Caleb's Crossing: Book summary and reviews of Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks

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Cathryn Conroy

An Extraordinary Book and Writing Achievement: I Loved It, But I Know It's Not for Everyone
This is a very special book. And while I absolutely loved it, I know it's not for everyone.

Written by Pulitzer Prize-winner Geraldine Brooks, the story takes place in the mid-1600s in Massachusetts in Cambridge and on what we now know as Martha's Vineyard. Bethia Mayfield lives a happy, albeit incredibly hard, life with her English Puritan parents and siblings as new settlers on a beautiful island. Her father is a Calvinist minister who views his life's work as preaching to the wild Wampanoag, who also live on the land. As a girl of 9, Bethia befriends a boy in the tribe that she names Caleb. Their secret friendship—were it known, it would be scandalous—brings her much joy as she teaches Caleb English and her catechism. Caleb is brilliant, kind, and honorable in contrast to many of the white settlers. Eventually he is offered admission to Harvard, the fledgling new college in Cambridge. Bethia doesn't fit the mold of women for her time, and her curious, vibrant, and independent spirit takes her places she otherwise would never go, but it also sparks trouble. The story is framed by questions of religious belief, awakening sexual passion, and the sense of right and wrong in a strict and stilted society.

While this book is totally fictional, Caleb was a real person, who was the first Native American graduate of Harvard College. The title of the book reflects his "crossing" from his native culture and life to that of a scholar in English society.

What makes this book so special is its style and tenor. Brilliantly written in Bethia's first-person voice, the rather slow-paced story reads much like it would if it had been written in the 17th century, including judicious use of some archaic words. (The Kindle dictionary was VERY helpful!) While it takes a few pages to adjust to that tone, what requires a bigger adjustment is the occasional use of words in Wampanaontoaonk, the language of the Wampanoag—and these words are never defined. That said, by paying close attention (Google isn't much help), the discerning reader can figure out what they mean.

Most of all, this is an extraordinary writing achievement, and I was utterly enthralled!

Carolt

Mesmerizing/renewing
As always, Geraldine Brooks drew me in and wouldn't let me go. Difficult and sad as Bethia's life sometimes is, Brooks' prose is exactly the soul renewal I needed during the pandemic.

Dorothy T.

Great read
On many levels, this novel is so satisfying: the characters are compelling, the writing provides suspense, and the descriptions of the settings put the reader into the time and place. This is the first novel by Geraldine Brooks that I have read; I am eager to read her earlier work.

Cloggie Downunder

a wonderful read
Caleb’s Crossing is the fourth novel by Geraldine Brooks. As with her other novels, fiction is built on fact. In this case the fact is the life of Caleb Cheeshahteaumauk, the young son of a Wampanoag chieftain, who, in 1665, was the first Native American to graduate from Harvard College. The story is narrated by Bethia Mayfield, the daughter of a Calvinist minister living on the island of Noepe (Martha’s Vineyard), and begins when twelve-year-old Bethia meets Caleb whilst she is out gathering clams. Bethia’s diary paints a vivid picture of life in an English Puritan settlement in the 17th century, and the effects on both cultures of interaction with the Native population. As events unfold, we watch Bethia, in her innocence and ignorance, using faulty logic, come to incorrect conclusions and thus suffers unwarranted guilt. As Bethia grows and matures, so does her narrative voice. The struggle between the English ministers and the Native medicine men for the acceptance of their beliefs amongst the native population is well portrayed. Caleb’s stubborn uncle, medicine man Tequamuk, seems remarkably prescient on the subject of the future of Native Americans.
Each time I pick up a book, fiction or non-fiction, by Geraldine Brooks, I look at the description on the jacket and wonder if I am going to like this one. By now, I should have learned that, no matter the subject matter, this author does not disappoint her readers. The depth of her research stands out. Her characters are always well developed, the dialogue is authentic, and she manages to convey the mood and atmosphere perfectly. Brooks manages to squeeze a wealth of facts into an easily-digestible package. I laughed and cried. I especially loved Caleb’s explanation and opinions on the native and English gods. I enjoyed this novel more than I expected to. It was engrossing and enlightening. The afterword was especially interesting. Once again, Brooks gives us a wonderful read.

vam

Not really about Caleb
I am going to be generous and give the book 2.5 stars. Halfway between it was ok and I liked it.

Are we there yet? I was really disappointed in this book. I had heard such good reports and several people told me in advance that I would love it – but I am finally done and not a minute too soon.

Why was I disappointed? Let me count the ways:

I expected a book that let me experience the life of the first Native American to graduate from Harvard. What I got, was a story that is primarily about a young colonial girl (Bethia) and her life on the island we call Martha’s Vineyard and her experiences as the daughter of a missionary to the Indians. Every once and while, Caleb (the Harvard graduate) appears in the story but we only see him through Bethia’s eyes. This made me feel at time like the victim of false advertising. Another reviewer said maybe the author did not feel free to explore further into Caleb because he was an actual person and, even though this is a fictional novel, trying to add/detract from what is known about him would almost be akin fraud.

The language the author used to make Bethia’s journal sound very authentic may have accomplished that task, but it cut into my enjoyment of the plot of the novel. The writing style sometime exhausted me. I just wanted to relax in my comfy chair and read for pleasure and not have to think about what I was reading – but the author deprived me of that privilege. I was happy when I finished this book – there are too many good books out there waiting for me.

Frequently, I felt as though the author was testing my patience when she jumped ahead of herself and then later came back and explained how she got there. I must admit I was forewarned of this tendency by how the book starts – I am a rather disciplined person I guess and I would have preferred if the book had started at the beginning of the story instead of jumping into something that really took place much later.

I think the author intended for us to identify with and admire Bethia. Instead, I could never feel as though I actually knew her as a person. I sympathized with desire to break though the gender gap and I was disturbed by how unfairly she was treated, but that was it. I think if the author had forgotten about trying to weave Caleb into the story and concentrated on Bethia’s life, I might have had more positive thoughts about the whole book. There was a story to be told about Bethia, but the to me the author kept dropping a stitch – leaving a whole in the story.

I do admire the work obviously done by the author to resurrect so much information about the relationships between the settlers and the Indian tribes and about the beginnings of Harvard. Too bad she had the limitations of the small bits of knowledge available about Caleb. Once again, I feel as though his inclusion in the novel was the problem.

And now that I have reached the end of the story (finally!) – I am left wondering where the book was supposed to take me. So in answer to my question – Are we there yet? – the answer would have to be that to get from here to there you have to have a destination in mind.

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